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Honoré, Laura & Kathy
Connecting with great friends in a face-to-face meet up always makes my day! The three of us had not been together in quite a while. Today changed all that.We had a grand time.
Food was good!
View was great!
Being together again after more than four years... PRICELESS!
I saw these lovely roses on my walk last Saturday. They were part of a gorgeous garden. I spoke briefly to the owner, who happened to be out, working on his masterpiece.
I love gardens, especially the English version, though his was not. One of these days, perhaps in my next life, I'll be a gardener. In the meantime, I will continue to appreciate and capture in photo and Waterlogue...
...and add the color palettes to my quilting inspiration sketchbook. In just two more weeks, if not this weekend, I will also have time freed up - my term as president of the quilting association is soon to end - and I plan to resume work on my (too long neglected) Flower Garden quilt. I'd love to finish it by summer's end. Aha! A(nother) project for my GTWB!
I'm a tad behind schedule this morning…best I get a move on. Have a great day!
Cheers~
Now that I am retired, three day holiday weekends don't have the same import as they did. This Memorial Day weekend, we/I did the following:
We ended the holiday with hot dogs (I had a taste for one) - a few French fries and a salad. And that's the way it was this Memorial Day weekend, 2015.
I hope your holiday and weekend were as restful as mine. Thanks to Carole for this week's timely Ten on Tuesday prompt; go here to see how others spent their weekend.
Cheers~
As I write this, it is just a tad after 6 PM, Sunday, May 24. It's been a quiet, bright and sunny day - lovely, actually with extremely reasonable temps: 82 degrees. But that, unfortunately, is going to be very short-lived. Hello 90s - here it comes.
Today is the day Rolling Thunder comes to town; in the past, I've usually heard them as they roar out - back to their home states. Not so today. Or maybe I was so absorbed in whatever I was doing earlier this afternoon.
Yesterday, Saturday, 23 May, was my father's birthdate; were he alive, he'd be 114 years old. And today, that is a possibility. My thoughts naturally turn to my dad especially this time of year. He was an army veteran and active in the reserves until his death, 31 years ago. Though he did not die in combat, I honor him and all who have served in this country's military . And to those who gave their lives, and for whom we pause in appreciation on Memorial Day,
Thank you and Rest in Peace.
(me on left, Michael our discussion leader & Gretchen on right; photo taken of computer screen)
*...or an update on habit building
For the past month, I've participated in a Better Than Before virtual book discussion group. We met weekly via a technology called zoom meeting plus we had a private social media platform. Last night, our last session, included a face-to-face group in San Francisco; those of us scattered around the country online and Gretchen Rubin in her New York City home office.
For the past two weeks, we have each been focusing on actually building a habit: the plan was to select a habit, begin to implement it and report on Fridays our progress - or not. We recorded our desired habit and established the process we planned to use on a spreadsheet and then marked the categories: green- in process; yellow-no change in status; and red: no action/progress.
As you know, I greet each day with my MSQT (morning solitude and quiet time) routine; I write about it often. During MSQT, I read, journal, eat breakfast, plan my day's activities and really enjoy that time. Recently, I added my drawing/seeing exercise. I have been wanting to carry the MSQT experience to Morning Glory Studio (my name for my sewing room, too) because I want to spend more time quilting and stitching.
It's a rare morning that circumstances - such as being on travel - preclude my engaging in MSQT; that is not always the case with having morning time in the studio. But what seemed to be more the obstacle was ending MSQT. How? When? What could be my trigger or signal that would make it easy for me to transition to the studio?
I thought about and tried an alarm, a set time, an "after I…" and none seemed to flow naturally, easily ~ though I hasten to add that I was indeed spending, on average, 2-3 hours a day in the studio, once I got settled in. But getting there was feeling forced. The transition was unnatural, riddled with the feeling of obligation and questioning: I want to do this but I also need to do thus and so...
I shared my conundrum with Gretchen, asking specifically for other ideas that I could try that would help me make the transition from MSQT to MGST (morning glory studio time) smoother. She suggested that I review/try other strategies such as monitoring, pairing, accountability, scheduling, etc.
This morning, I thought some more about the strategies and my feelings. I enjoy being in the studio and I don't like ending MSQT (tho', alas, I know I must and do). And then it hit me like a brick: I don't have to end MSQT! I am just moving (it and me) to another location!
And so I made myself another cup of tea, gathered up my belongings and made it up the stairs to the studio. Yesterday, I'd emptied a cabinet of fabric and left it piled on the ironing board; this morning, I weeded the fabrics I didn't want to keep and then got ready to go run some errands. I enjoyed my time in my studio, sorting through the fabrics and few incomplete projects - renewing my memory, thoughts and commitment about them…Even tho' my time was abbreviated today, I finished up feeling that I am on the right track…at last.
Watch this space for an update in a few weeks.
Have you read or are you reading Better Than Before? Have you or are you establishing a new habit? If so, how's it going?
Cheers~
PS. I'll be back Monday - it's the 25th! Have a great weekend !
This is the bébé Chris, with his grandmother. Surely he's wondering what's going on? Or maybe not!
I thought this was to be the last of graduation pics…and then I remembered: Oh yeah! Missy Kayla graduates 8th grade in a few more weeks. Oh my! Where does the time go? To be continued.
Here's to a super, cooler (yay!) Wednesday. Truly, a breath of fresh air!
Cheers~
When I graduated from high school, the speaker at our baccalaureate ceremony, shared three pieces of advice:
Over the many years since then, I have remembered, and to the best of my ability, successfully followed that simple formula. And so to every graduate, be it from kindergarten (yes, they graduate that young these days), 6th or 8th grades, high school, college, etc, I pass on those sage, simple but ever so powerful, words.
Today's Ten on Tuesday prompt asked us to share what we'd tell graduates; to the above, I'll add this:
Graduation is always a special time in our lives and I am thinking we should all graduate periodically, just because...
Cheers~
I love this selfie of Christian, taken on Sunday! She's the queen of selfies, in my book!
friday 15 may 2015 circa 5:15 pm, est
In my car. In grocery store parking lot. Stopped to get some pizza as well as yogurt and Kleenex, especially. Trying to take a decent selfie photo. This is the best of 4-5.
On my way home from the hairdresser. Hair cut…loving my shorn locks. I was beginning to feel like the wooly mammoth about the nape of my neck. A good haircut changed all that. Not only do I look better, I feel better!
Driving in rush hour traffic…seldom done these days. Always an experience. Turned on the radio…Lovely weather today but the forecast for the next four days not so good: Hot and Humid! Yuck!
Home again. Put groceries away. Sit and watch a bit of the 6 o'clock news. Write this blog post and check email. Remember I have to update my progress on my new habit creation project (more on that after next Wednesday).
Time to do that and then, downstairs to fix the pizza and relax.
Have a great weekend!
Cheers~
This week, my grand niece Christian graduates from Rutgers University. Go Christian Go!
Yesterday she was in the first of three ceremonies: the picture above was taken at the graduation honoring African-American, Latino and Asian-American students at the University. On Saturday, the second ceremony is for her college within the University and on Sunday, the graduation combines all the colleges' graduates!
On Wednesday, she starts a new job! Go Christian Go! I have to say that "life is good!" for her.
Congratulations Christian! You done good!
Cheers~
Great Auntie Honoré
Norman gave me some very pretty roses this Mother's Day (even tho' I'm not a mom). I am glad I took a photo of them Sunday because today, they've bit the dust. I wonder if it was the vodka I put in the water!!!
Anyway, I've had the photo ready to post since Sunday…and today, plumb forgot! I've either a cold or my allergies (trees, flowers) or both have kicked up today. I feel kinda punk. Have spent most of the day in my sewing room, creating a new quilt inspiration, and I totally lost track of time.
Tomorrow's another day and I am keeping my fingers crossed that I am better. But for now, I think it's time for a cuppa tea and a bit of reading.
Cheers~